Andy Fickman Quick Links

After working for years as the US' most diligent mall security guard, Paul Blart (Kevin James) has finally earned himself a holiday. Traveling to Las Vegas with his family, Blart begins enjoying his vacation in one of the biggest casinos in the city. But his duty gets the better of him when Blart uncovers a strange plot to rob the casino, and springs into action. Armed with a new uniform and his trusty Segway, Blart brings together a diverse group of night-watchmen and security guards in an attempt to battle the robbers, proving that there really is no rest for some people.

Artie and Diane Decker are the aging parents of a working mother, Alice, whose busy lifestyle means she has to enlist the help of her parents to look after her three young children while she and her husband Phil go away on a business trip. While Diane seems enthusiastic about seeing her grandchildren, Artie is less motivated when he realises that his old fashioned, tough love parenting methods would be lost on the 21st century kids. Alice certainly realises she's got her work cut out trying to teach her stubborn father how to deal with them, remembering the many occasions he let her down when she was a child. Will Artie and Diane's 'second chance' at parenting teach them that their daughter has got the right approach? Or will the venture end in disaster?

This heart-warming comedy is a wonderful story about the unity of family. It is directed by Andy Fickman ('She's the Man', 'The Game Plan') and written by Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse (previously having worked together on 'Lover Girl' and 'Surf's Up') with re-writes from Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (both of 'Tooth Fairy' and 'Robots'). It is set for release in UK cinemas everywhere on December 28th 2012.

The only way to do it would be with kitsch, and sure enough this musical remake/spoof of the infamous 1936 exploitation film Reefer Madness is packed to the gills with kitschy humor. How you feel about the film will depend on your tolerance for extremely broad humor, hammy overacting, and songs about the Five and Dime. Some legitimate talent is attached here, which helps to detract from the gawky unwatchability of lead Christian Campbell, but on the whole it comes off as a punchline in search of a joke.